The Cause of Death
Dreaming reality
He heard a knock at the door. Slowly bringing his head to a propped position on his rotund body, he sighed as he heard an inquiry on the other side of the door.
Over the past month, Spekkio had lost whatever cheerfulness he once had, replaced with an overwhelming depression on what might have been. His dreams were becoming even more vivid, with grotesque scenes of outright killing of various people, and in his latest one, he watched in horror as he, in his dream, descended from a great height, impaling a beautiful young brown haired woman, leaving a blond haired man holding a gigantic sword outstretched speechless.
Truly, that young man had much strife in his life, and Spekkio realized that clearly, he was likely the cause of such problems.
Again, the knock came, and Spekkio realized he had yet to actually answer the door. He called out in a tired voice, "Yes, yes… the master of war will see you."
The door opened, and the Prince of Zeal stepped through, a dangerous look written all over his face.
"Spekkio, there is a problem that needs to be address, and I feel that perhaps your training is not enough for me to fight the dark force that has been plaguing the world. However… there is one who can step up to the power, and he wishes to speak with you…"
Janus opened the door further, and a man wrapped in a mysterious dark cloak stepped through. The power the man had was mind boggling at the very least, and his foreboding presence caused Spekkio to place a hand to his chest, realizing who stood before him.
"The one from my dreams… you… no… impossible."
The cloaked man looked back to Janus, as if in confusion, and then looked back to Spekkio in surprise.
"I admit, if I am in your dreams, it was no fault of my own. Personally, I'm just surprised you do not fit the description that Janus told me of previously… how very odd…"
Spekkio stepped forward, a confused look spreading across his features.
"What do you mean? You are clearly powerful, and even I can sense that. Hell, you're at a strength that I doubt a fraction of a percentage of humans even reach, especially mortal ones like yourself, as your life energies state. Just… who are you? And… what do I look like to you?"
The cloaked man nodded his head, "I am naught but a wanderer, a man who has seen many of the secrets of the world and of what time also has to offer. I have seen the Kingdom of Guardia fall, and I have seen Lavos rise once again, but if all goes according to plan, the recombination of lost time streams will result in a brighter time line… so quit worrying, Janus."
Janus wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead, not wanting to deal with both Lavos and the latest evil he had to deal with.
"As for you, Spekkio… frankly, I don't know how to explain this to you, only that you have the guise of a soul I have watched before. A man who could have very well saved his planet, and instead fell to the darkness of a beast of Lavos' ilk. But, then again, what I just mentioned is truly an impossibility… he was such a good warrior, a master of war, a General of a great army, that of course you might have some sort of form like his own but… the very idea that you'd have anything to do with him is…"
"Warranted, dreamed, and watched with great uncertainty. From the vividness of the dreams, I have brought myself to believe that I was once that man, before I obtained the power to give others to save their planet…" Spekkio responded, confused.
The cloaked man nodded, turning to Janus, "He is here for a penance much like yours… though you would never have to worry about reaching his level…"
"Who am I?" Spekkio asked again.
The man's head shook side to side, the hood covering his face following in perfect motion.
"If it is indeed true, if you were truly the man I see before me, then your name is Sephiroth. What I will tell you both may shock you… but it must be done, for the sake of the past.
Sephiroth was a well-respected General of a great technological army, the greatest army on his planet, which ironically is the same as the blond haired man who washed up on the beach near Truce… but his story is for another time… anyway…
What Sephiroth was so respected for was his uncanny ability in various sword techniques, and also his pinpoint accuracy with such a large and cumbersome Nodachi. His skill in magic was also unparalleled, making him the premier warrior in the world, and a role model among many young and aspiring soldiers.
One day… I don't know quite how it happened, but Sephiroth went insane. Sometimes in the back of my mind, I wonder if the crisis could have been averted, if he truly realized that he was not what the alien was making him believe… I thought he was too strong to be brainwashed, myself, but then again, he had been injected numerous times with the blood of the beast, and therefore held a very strong connection.
His insanity began with the burning of a small mountain hamlet known as Nibelheim… I don't know if you know anything about…"
Spekkio slammed the side of the room in anger, "Damn it, a young black haired girl was there, one I ran through with my sword, she probably died! So did the brown haired girl for that matter!"
Janus began looking at Spekkio oddly, but the master of war passed it off as surprise from hearing the gruesome secrets locked away in his mind.
The cloaked man nodded, continuing.
"While Sephiroth attacked the black haired girl, Tifa was her name, he did not kill her. The brown haired girl you refer to, whose name was Aeris… she did not survive the encounter, and the death was not quite the only one. Also… Sephiroth did something unthinkable… something that has haunted me to this day, as it could be possible by many other people…
He took control of powerful black magic… locked away in the secrets of the planet… a spell known as Meteor, which summoned a gigantic rock that could not be dissipated except for it's counteraction, the spell of Holy, which was thankfully cast, but almost came too late…"
Spekkio sighed, turning around and running a hand through his long hair that fell behind him.
"My guess is, you were stationed here as penance for your life, because you were not in control at the time… you've been given a second chance… and I believe you've already atoned with aiding the group in destroying Lavos."
Spekkio shook his head sadly, turning back around and glaring at the cloaked man with bright green eyes.
"Then how long must I stay as this form… which must have been weaker than my current one… now this planet is having trouble with a dark force that is even stronger than both Jenova and Lavos, and if you can't take care of it…"
Janus looked at Spekkio in wonder, "Jenova?"
Spekkio put up a hand to silence him, "A being supposedly stronger than Lavos, though much of it's power had been removed by the people who once lived on the planet… it had to take control of me, the greatest warrior of the planet, in order to gain it's strength back, and injure the planet greatly with Meteor so it could absorb the dying life energies."
Janus nodded, "Then I have lived a fraction of the life you have… but you are not Spekkio any more… perhaps the penance has been fulfilled…"
The Master of War put a hand to his side, noticing the added weight of the Nodachi. Various silver tendrils of hair flowed slightly in front of the master's vision as he smiled sadly.
"I guess… I am no longer Spekkio… but Sephiroth, the Cause of Death."
Janus nodded sadly, "But you are still my teacher, and no matter who you become, I will continue to learn from you, if you continue to have me as a student."
Sephiroth nodded, smiling again, "Of course, I just got a power boost, and you need to make sure you have the strength you need since I don't see Crono around…"
The blue haired one agreed, "An astute observation, the group decided to regroup here under the leadership of the mysterious one here, Novalon, the wandering Prophet of many planets… he who knows what fate has to give him…"
The cloaked one nodded, "Yes, but time is of the essence if we are to defeat my nemesis… come Janus…"
Janus nodded, following him out the door, "Right away, Sir Novalon."
As the door shut, Sephiroth closed his eyes, realizing the one known as Spekkio was no more… or was he? Spekkio would live on, as a change in personality, and Sephiroth would promise to uphold as much of the personality as he could while never forgetting the horrid past that made him who he was.
He was scared, yet happy that his dreams finally found their reality.